It is great to be at home after a thrilling summer on the road! I visited some favorite festivals, hit some new states and venues, played some wonderful house concerts, music festivals, and club gigs, and had an awesome time at Grand Teton National Park! My deepest thanks to all who attended my performances and to those who hosted house concerts, and to all who bought CDs at my shows, too.

Speaking of which: I am offering a “bootleg” CD of my September 4 house concert in Missoula, Montana (hosted by Stew and Meg Weis). These are hand-labeled CDs, but properly mastered from a high-res digital master recording. The set list and PayPal ordering link are here. UPDATE: This show is now available in high-res, CD quality, and MP3 from livedownloads.com

I am planning to stay close to home in October, and just starting to make some plans for November. I’ll be looking for house concert and other solo-performance opportunities in the West in November, so please get in touch ASAP if you’re interested in hosting a show.

Thank you for your kind attention and support. I hope to see you soon!

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As always, I’m in the market for house concert opportunities. If you see an open spot on my schedule in your general vicinity, let’s try to make something happen! And remember: word of mouth is pretty much all we have these days, so if you like my music, please spread the word about these gigs and these recordings – the free ones as well as the for-sale ones.

“Life Is a Jam” is a studio recording with me on guitar and vocals, Mark Karan (Jemimah Puddueduck, Ratdog) on lead guitar, Mookie Siegel (David Nelson Band) on keyboards, Joe Kyle, Jr (The Waybacks) on bass, Dave Brogan (ALO) on drums, and Zac Matthews (Hot Buttered Rum) and Bear Kittay on background vocals. The download package and promo CD contain three versions of the song, each with a unique jam – a total of about 27 minutes of music for your money! dgans.com/liaj/download – and we still have a few copies of the limited-edition promo CD available at dgans.com/liaj/

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has taken a deserved beating in the courts recently, but the posturing, pandering putzim in DC aren’t gonna give up any time soon. I’m talkin’ to you, John “I Never called myself a Maverick, except in the title of my autobiography and a few zillion campaign ads” McCain.

Senators live in Washington, D.C., most of the time. They mix with rich people and powerful people at private cocktail parties and dinners. They are aware that some of the people they socialize with are gay. They are aware that some of their colleagues, and the aides to their colleagues, are gay. They no more believe that gay people are a threat to unit cohesion than they believe that aliens have established villages on Jupiter.

And yet they have to pretend for their people. Their constituents, their base, still believe that one gay guy in a shower room is going to panic the other soldiers. It’s not true, of course, but the panderers have to keep their base happy in this election year – one-third of the Senate is up for re-election – so they get all misty-eyed about manly showers with manly men. Or something.

Also, they seek to convince voters that gay people are a threat of the American family.

Joan Baez, who was dating Mickey Hart at the time, appears on “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” She also played an opening set at this show, backed by the Dead.

Jerry Jams for Rex is a compilation of Jerry Garcia compositions performed by various artists, available on CD and via download in several formats from nugs.net. Contributors include Keller and the Keels, Bruce Hornsby, the String Cheese Incident, Railroad Earth, the Waybacks, and others. Proceeds benefit the Rex Foundation.

Jesse McReynolds is a true legend of bluegrass. He and his late brother were Jim and Jesse, and when Jerry Garcia and Sandy Rothman crossed the country in Jerry’s Corvair in 1964 this is one of the acts they were going to see. From the CD’s web page at jimandjesse.com:

“Jesse’s singing voice is like a long-lost brother voice between Jerry Garcia and David Nelson. I enjoyed the new song we co-wrote, “Day by Day.” Especially liked the ‘McReynolds picking’ accompaniment, your signature contribution to bluegrass music.” ~ Robert Hunter

“It’s an honor and a thrill for me to be on this project. Fantastic that I was asked to play on it by one of my all-time heroes!! The session was filled with great moments. Plus the extra added treat of singing with Jesse on the Grand Ole Opry! All I can think is, “Pinch me, is this real?” Both the session and the Opry will always be revered among my greatest experiences.” ~ David Nelson

“After listening, I was reminded of what made Jesse McReynolds a major influence for so many musicians and one of our country’s greatest music legends. His musicianship, singing, and arrangements should be heard by everyone. It is an honor for all of us at Woodstock Records to bring this music to the public. Thanks to all who have helped keep the flame burning. With this CD it just got brighter and higher!” ~ Aaron “Professor Louie” Hurwitz, Woodstock Records – June, 2010

“Jesse absorbed the gestures of Grateful Dead’s music, then crafted his interpretations complemented by Stu [Allen]’s masterful guitar work, Tommy White’s steel that evokes and continues Garcia’s, and all the musicians on the project. One favorite of mine is “Loser” – a real winner here. Did we ever expect to hear Jesse McReynolds singing “Standing on the Moon”? Maybe not, but… here we go!” ~ Sandy Rothman – March 2007

Grateful Dead Productions, announcing three new releases: Formerly the Warlocks, the complete concerts of October 8 and 9, 1989 from multitrack; Road Trips volume 3 number 4, a 3-disc compilation from the spring of 1980; and The Warner Brothers Studio Albums, five classic Grateful Dead albums on 180-gram vinyl in a deluxe boxed set, including the original mixes of Anthem of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa, plus the 7″ single of “Dark Star.” Details, audio samples, discussion boards, and ordering info at dead.net

“We must come to see that the well-being of our own individual children is intimately linked to the well-being of other people’s children. After all, when one of our children needs life-saving surgery, someone else’s child will perform it; when one of our own children is threatened or harmed by violence on the streets, someone else’s child will inflict it. The good life for our own children can only be secured if it is also secured for all other people’s children. But to worry about all other people’s children is not just a practical or strategic matter; it is a moral and ethical one: to strive for the well-being of all other people’s children is also right.”

(Lilian G. Katz, Ph.D. and Stephen Katz are my aunt and cousin, respectively. I learned a lot from this book, about teaching (my wife’s profession) and about my family. A quick and entirely worthwhile read. The music is very good, too!)

It’s FUND DRIVE TIME, friends. Please visit KPFA’s web site and make a donation. Any amount is greatly appreciated! Or call us on the studio line 510-848-4425 to make a pledge and score one of these fabulous thank-you gifts.

David Gans live at “Club Meg” 9/4/10
Now available in high-res, CD quality, and MP3 from nugs.net.

Dawn’s Early Light->
For Everyman
Pancho and Lefty->
Save Us from the Saved->
Terrapin->
Cassidy’s Cat->
I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
The Bounty of the County
That’s Real Love
Lazy River Road
It’s Gonna Get Better
~
Down to Eugene
Afterbird->
Sultans of Swing
Loser
Who Killed Uncle John?
Life Is a Jam->
Norwegian Wood
Ran into God
Black Peter->
Blue Roses
Like a Dog->
Brokedown Palace

Click here for a link to the download page on nugs.net. Available in 96/24 FLAC, 44.1/16 FLAC. and MP3.

Grateful Dead Productions, announcing three new releases: Formerly the Warlocks, the complete concerts of October 8 and 9, 1989 from multitrack; Road Trips volume 3 number 4, a 3-disc compilation from the spring of 1980; and The Warner Brothers Studio Albums, five classic Grateful Dead albums on 180-gram vinyl in a deluxe boxed set, including the original mixes of Anthem of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa, plus the 7″ single of “Dark Star.” Details, audio samples, discussion boards, and ordering info at dead.net

Kearney Street Books, presenting The Storyteller Speaks: Rare and Different Fictions of the Grateful Dead, including one penned by Robert Hunter – two dozen short stories inspired by the Grateful Dead’s music and community. The Storyteller Speaks is available at amazon.com

Grateful Dead Productions, announcing three new releases: Formerly the Warlocks, the complete concerts of October 8 and 9, 1989 from multitrack; Road Trips volume 3 number 4, a 3-disc compilation from the spring of 1980; and The Warner Brothers Studio Albums, five classic Grateful Dead albums on 180-gram vinyl in a deluxe boxed set, including the original mixes of Anthem of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa, plus the 7″ single of “Dark Star.” Details, audio samples, discussion boards, and ordering info at dead.net

Kearney Street Books, presenting The Storyteller Speaks: Rare and Different Fictions of the Grateful Dead, including one penned by Robert Hunter – two dozen short stories inspired by the Grateful Dead’s music and community. The Storyteller Speaks is available at amazon.com

Los Lobos cover the Grateful Dead’s “West LA Fadeaway” on their new CD Tin Can Trust; “Bridges Burning,” included here, is a Robert Hunter-Cesar Rosas collaboration.

“Run Mary,” a new studio recording by Dark Star Orchestra, also features a Robert Hunter lyric.

“White Falcon Fuzz” is included here because Mother Hips guitarist Tim Bluhm is currently touring with Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann in the Rhythm Devils. Tim gave me a copy of his band’s most recent CD and I now feel like an idiot for having missed them completely over the last twenty years.

The new archival release by Hot Tuna is from the same set of live sessions that yielded their first release back in the day. Great to hear more from those shows, and of course “I Know You Rider” has been a staple of Grateful Dead shows since the band’s inception.